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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Bandcamp Picks: Gruesome, Demonical, Abyss (CAN), Ululate

Anyone who wishes they had another Leprosy/Spiritual Healing must be reeling at the debut from Gruesome, Matt Harvey's tribute to Death's early years. [But aren't Matt Harvey's other bands also a tribute to some other band?] To that end, Savage Land is spot on; the vocals especially are such a perfect simulacrum of Chuck Schuldiner's rasp that it's unsettling. The deluxe edition contains a cover of Death's "Land of No Return"; surely that's redundant after a whole album of reverential mimicry? [$9.99]

Savage Land (Deluxe Edition) by GruesomeDemonicalsimilarly started out paying tribute to the early days of Swedish death metal, but have been able to carve out their own identity separate from the revivalist bandwagon. Black Flesh Redemption contains four new songs showcasing their knack for memorable hooks and succinct arrangements. Servants of the Unlight, rejoice. [$4]

Black Flesh Redemption by Demonical
Raw and uncompromising, Toronto's Abyss aren't ones for subtlety. Heretical Anatomy was produced by Joel Grind, who brings a rehearsal tape aesthetic to the band's meatgrinder roots death. A chest-thumping rejoinder to the usual triggered, technical Canadian death metal. [$6.66]

Heretical Anatomy by Abyss Beijing's one-man band ULULATE [哀嚎] has a lot going for it. Though it's only the second full length (the first was released all the way back in 2002) Back to Cannibal World (sic) is pretty accomplished Immolation-inflected death metal, abetted by a solid production and some interesting songwriting choices. [€5]